Some types of energy projects have been spinning at Bushland’s Conservation and Production Laboratory for more than three decades, but they’ll start slowing to a stop in two years.

“Our national research program office said it wanted a stronger emphasis on biofuels, and we are the only solar/wind program so we kind of stuck out,” acting lab director Terry Howell said. “But there will be no impact on federal funding or personnel. The only people who will be affected by the transition work for West Texas A&M.”

All the soil and water conservation, feedlot, crop management and plant variety improvement work at the lab will continue.
It’s part of a change of concept and philosophy by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced four more biomass projects in several states, but not Texas, to use non-food crops such as wood, oil seed or switchgrass to create fuel.